Julia Hargreaves
In the wake of Ithaca College’s new dining implementations, many students have been left wondering where they can get their next meal on campus.
Though none of the cafes on campus have moved locations for the Fall 2025 semester, the options offered at each cafe have changed. Some locations have transitioned to retail-only, where students cannot use the meal exchange program, which allows students to trade meal swipes for a meal at a cafe.
Many changes were meant to be made in students’ favor, one example being Dailies Cafe in Roy H. Park Hall. This cafe is located in the lobby of the building, not far from many classrooms. The noise of the cafe started disrupting learning environments, pushing administration to find a new location where students’ education would be less affected.
Despite the effort made by staff to please students, many students find themselves left with various complaints about the new dining system. There was very little communication from the administration to students on the changes coming to their dining options this semester. Even some students who work at the cafes themselves were left in the dark about many of the changes.
No matter how much these changes are meant to benefit students, without clear communication, they are creating more problems than solutions.
If the IC administration communicated the lack of exchanges, students would have been able to plan for the lack of food options. The first week of classes is stressful enough for students without them having to find a last-minute meal before their next class.
The lack of communication from IC’s administration to its students goes beyond just the dining changes.
On Sept. 15, students will have the opportunity to hear actor, writer and director Jesse Eisenberg speak on campus. However, many students have been left confused on how and where to sign up for tickets. The first round of tickets was meant just for faculty, staff and students in classes required to attend the event, but was accidentally made available to the public. Students who had gotten tickets via the original link have had their tickets revoked, and are required to sign up again via the new link which was made available Sept. 10. The new round of tickets proceeded to sell out within minutes, leaving many students frustrated with the administration.
IC’s administration is doing a great thing by bringing such a big name to the college and providing students an opportunity they otherwise would never receive. However, if these great things are not communicated and advertised to students effectively, there is no point for IC’s administration to put the work into hosting such events in the first place.
Administration could have dealt with both situations — the dining changes and the Eisenberg tickets — by clearly communicating with students. The fix to those mistakes is to talk to the people who have been affected. IC’s administration should disclose these issues and spark conversations around them, so students can get the most out of their campus experience.
Without clear communication, none of the opportunities and changes that the administration makes to campus will effectively benefit students.